As soon as the Civil War ended in 1865, the enterprising Jack Daniel immediately went to work, setting up what would become America's most famous whiskey distillery: the Jack Daniel Distillery in Lynchburg, Tennessee, only a few miles away from Nashville. No doubt because of the distillery's proximity to the American capital of country music, the whiskey quickly became an American classic. Jack Daniel's whiskey quickly became associated with country and rock and roll music, and with the rough, yet romantic lifestyle associated with that style of music. Those bottles, labeled with rough, white text against a brutally simple black background, are instantly recognizable.
What many people don't realize, however, is that the original Jack Daniel Distillery in Lynchburg is still operational. It is on America's National Register of Historic Places, because it is the oldest, still-functioning licensed whiskey-making facility in the US. Today, visitors to Nashville are encouraged to tour the Jack Daniel whiskey distillery, where they can observe the entire process of making Jack Daniel's whiskey.
Tours of the facility let visitors watch whiskey get fermented, distilled, and stored in its massive oak barrels. Jack Daniel's whiskey is said to get its characteristic "deep" taste because of the water that is used in the whiskey-making process. The water comes directly out of a natural spring located near the facility. Another unique component of the Jack Daniel's whiskey-making process is the charcoal used during distillation: the charcoal is made out of sugar maple, which gives the whiskey a distinct flavor.
The Jack Daniel's distillery tour does not include whiskey tastings, but bottles of Jack Daniel's can be bought at the gift shop at the end of the tour.
